The ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip will be extended by two days, after further negotiations brokered by Qatar, opening the way for further releases of hostages and prisoners.

The original 4-day ceasefire was due to expire on Monday night, but with just hours to go before it ended, Hamas said that an agreement had been reached to prolong it by 48 hours under the existing terms.

Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari announced that “an agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip.”

Under the ceasefire agreement, Hamas has released 50 Israeli hostages in addition to 19 foreign hostages.

In return, Israel has released 150 Palestinian prisoners.